$CARA Selected to Present at the 2016 International Conference on Opioids

• Leading experts to discuss unique pharmacology of peripherally selective opioids to manage chronic and acute pain during opening session
• Company to present positive data from Phase 2a study of Oral CR845 in chronic pain patients

Cara Therapeutics, Inc. (CARA), a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing new chemical entities designed to alleviate pain and pruritus by selectively targeting peripheral kappa opioid receptors, today announced that it was selected to deliver a presentation  titled “Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonists (KORAs), a Novel Pharmacology for the Treatment of Acute and Chronic Pain” at the International Conference on Opioids, which will be held June 5-7, 2016 in Boston.

Three experts in the field of clinical research and clinical practice will discuss the latest data and clinical developments in the treatment of acute and chronic pain, and will share results from Cara’s human abuse liability study of I.V. CR845. CR845 is Cara’s first-in-class peripherally selective kappa opioid agonist with potential to be the only Schedule V or non-scheduled opioid for acute and chronic pain.

Details of the presentation are as follows:

Date: Sunday, June 5, 2016
Time: 9:15 – 10:00 a.m. ET
Location: The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School
Experts:

• Joseph Stauffer, D.O., M.B.A., Chief Medical Officer, Cara Therapeutics; Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• TJ Gan, M.D., M.H.S., F.R.C.A., Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology, Stony Brook School of Medicine
• Lynn Webster, M.D., Vice President of Scientific Affairs, PRA Health Sciences

In addition, Dr. Stauffer will present a poster detailing positive data from Cara’s Phase 2a study of the oral formulation of CR845 in osteoarthritis patients.

Title: “The Safety, Tolerability, and Effectiveness of Orally Administered CR845, a Peripherally Acting Kappa Opioid Agonist, in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Knee or Hip”
Date: Monday, June 6, 2016
Times: 10:00 – 10:30 a.m., 12:30 – 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. ET
Location: The Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, second floor

For more information on the International Conference on Opioids, visithttps://www.opioidconference.org/Home_Page.html.

About CR845

CR845 is a peripherally acting kappa opioid receptor agonist currently in development for the treatment of acute and chronic pain and pruritus. In multiple randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trials in patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy or bunionectomy procedures, I.V. CR845 treatment resulted in statistically significant reductions in both pain intensity and opioid-related side effects. In a human abuse liability trial, I.V. CR845 demonstrated statistically significant reductions in “drug liking,” “feeling high,” “overall liking,” and “take drug again” scores in comparison to I.V. pentazocine, a Schedule IV analgesic. In more than 635 subjects dosed to date, I.V. CR845 was found to be well tolerated, without incurring the dysphoric and psychotomimetic side effects that have been reported with centrally acting (CNS-active) kappa opioid receptor agonists.

An oral formulation of CR845 has also been evaluated in a Phase 2a study in osteoarthritis patients and was shown to be well tolerated with twice a day dosing for two weeks.

About Cara Therapeutics

Cara Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing new chemical entities designed to alleviate pain and pruritus by selectively targeting peripheral kappa opioid receptors. Cara is developing a novel and proprietary class of product candidates that target the body’s peripheral nervous system and have demonstrated initial efficacy in patients with moderate-to-severe pain without inducing many of the undesirable side effects typically associated with currently available pain therapeutics.

INVESTOR CONTACT:
Jesse Baumgartner
Stern Investor Relations, Inc.
212-362-1200 
Jesse@sternir.com

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Annie Starr
6 Degrees
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